San Jose emergency protest over Israel’s violations of ceasefire
San Jose, CA – On October 29 in downtown San Jose outside the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, about 30 people gathered to protest Israel’s violation of the ceasefire. The days before the action have been the deadliest of Israel’s violations, with over 100 Palestinians murdered in Gaza, almost half of them children, and with at least 250 more injured.
Signs read, “San Jose divest from genocide,” “Silicon Valley has blood on their hands” and “We will not be complicit.” The protesters chanted, “No Ceasefire, no peace”, “Netanyahu what do you say? How many kids did you kill today?” “Free, free Palestine!”
Salem Ajluni, member of the board of directors of Human Agenda stated, “The public opinion of Palestine in the U.S. has been deeply impacted over the last two years of genocide in Gaza, which revealed the true nature of Israel. The movement has grown from [the people’s] enduring commitment. This is not a sprint; this is a long walk that takes years and keeping the movement strong is essential to ending U.S. support for Israel.”
Philip Nguyen, of San Jose Against War, told the crowd, “The ceasefire has obviously never been upheld since day one and this pause is so that the apartheid state and the IOF can recuperate and rearm themselves to inevitably reup their genocidal campaign.” Nguyen reminded the crowd that the work for a free Palestine continues.
San Jose Against War has a campaign demanding the city of San Jose to divest from companies complicit in Israel’s genocide in Palestine including Alphabet, Microsoft, and Caterpillar.
Drusia Kazanova, of Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated “Justice for Palestine does not end here. Ceasefire or not, we will not stop fighting until all of Palestine is free, from the river, to the sea!”
John Duroyan, president of Students for a Democratic Society San Jose State University (SDS SJSU), stated, “Campuses nationwide, SDS Chapters, Students for Justice in Palestine chapters, countless other organizations, Filipinos, Koreans, Black student unions, activists of every nationality and leaning are striving arm in arm for the total liberation of Palestine.”
Duroyan also elevated SDS SJSU’s campaign demanding the university to cut ties with Lockheed Martin, the war profiteering company that also has an exclusive partnership at the university.